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Aspects of juvenile and adolescent environment predict aggression and fear in 12-month-old guide dogs
| Contributor(s):: Serpell, J. A., Duffy, D. L.
Maturational changes in behavior, and the possible influence of the puppy-raising environment on behavioral development, were investigated in a total sample of 978 prospective guide dogs belonging to four different breeds/crosses. All dogs belonged to the same guide dog organization, and had...
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Interaction between sows’ aggressiveness post mixing and skin lesions recorded several weeks later
| Contributor(s):: Tönepöhl, Björn, Appel, Anne K., Voß, Barbara, König von Borstel, Uta, Gauly, Matthias
Group housing of pigs leads inevitably to more or less serious agonistic interactions during the establishment of the social rank order of the group. In order to reduce the number of severe agonistic interactions and thus the negative effects on well-being and performance, the use of genetic...
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Immunocastration with Improvac™ reduces aggressive and sexual behaviours in male pigs
| Contributor(s):: Brewster, Veronica, Nevel, Amanda
Surgical castration of male pigs is a common practice to reduce the risk of boar taint, an accumulation of pheromones in the muscles of pigs giving an undesirable odour to the pork of entire boars. Castration is not widely practiced in the UK for welfare reasons and indeed, assurance schemes...
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"Who's been a good dog?" - Owner perceptions and motivations for treat giving
| Contributor(s):: White, G. A., Ward, L., Pink, C., Craigon, J., Millar, K. M.
Complex relationships commonly exist between owners and their companion animals, particularly around feeding behaviour with an owner's affection or love for their animal most pronounced through the provision of food. It is notable that the pet food market is experiencing strong year-on-year...
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Behavioral changes and feathering score in heat stressed broiler chickens fed diets containing different levels of propolis
| Contributor(s):: Mahmoud, U. T., Abdel-Rahman, M. A. M., Darwish, M. H. A., Applegate, T. J., Cheng, H.
This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of green Brazilian propolis on behavioral patterns and feather condition of heat stressed broiler chickens. Five hundred and four (504) male Ross 708 broiler chicks at 15-day old were randomly allotted to six dietary...
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Acute stress enhances sensitivity to a highly attractive food reward without affecting judgement bias in laying hens
| Contributor(s):: Hernandez, C. E., Hinch, G., Lea, J., Ferguson, D., Lee, C.
Affective states can be evaluated by assessing shifts in the animal's expectation of a positive and negative outcome in response to ambiguous cues, also known as judgement bias (JB). The aim of this study was to use a JB methodology, using a go/go type of task where animals are required to make...
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Density-dependent diet selection and body condition of cattle and horses in heterogeneous landscapes
| Contributor(s):: Cornelissen, P., Vulink, J. T.
For some decades, grazing by cattle and horses is used as a management tool to achieve different nature management goals. For managers there are still questions to be answered about the effects of herbivore densities on their performance, vegetation development and biodiversity. This study...
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Effects of growth-promoting technology on feedlot cattle behavior in the 21 days before slaughter
| Contributor(s):: Stackhouse-Lawson, K. R., Tucker, C. B., Calvo-Lorenzo, M. S., Mitloehner, F. M.
There is growing interest in the animal welfare implications of growth-promoting technology used in feedlot cattle, namely hormonal implants, ionophores, antibiotics and β 2-adrenergic agonists. Previous studies have focused on the effects of implants on aggression, but little work has...
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Playful handling of laboratory rats is more beneficial when applied before than after routine injections
| Contributor(s):: Cloutier, S., Wahl, K. L., Panksepp, J., Newberry, R. C.
The ability of positive affective states to counteract negative states engendered by routine medical procedures remains poorly studied. In laboratory rats, positive affect typically associated with rough-and-tumble play can be induced through human "hand play" - the experience of being "tickled"...
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Young Blond d'Aquitaine, Angus and Limousin bulls differ in emotional reactivity: relationships with animal traits, stress reactions at slaughter and post-mortem muscle metabolism
| Contributor(s):: Bourguet, C., Deiss, V., Boissy, A., Terlouw, E. M. C.
The present study investigated relationships between reactivity during tests, stress reactions at slaughter and animal traits in young Blond d'Aquitaine (BA), Limousin (LI) and Angus (AN) bulls. Behavioural and physiological reactivity of animals was evaluated during rearing using a "Human test"...
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A case study: the effect of visitors on two captive pumas with respect to the time of the day
| Contributor(s):: Maia, C. M., Volpato, G. L., Santos, E. F.
This study analyzed the effects of noise levels and number of visitors on the behaviors of a mother puma and her daughter in a zoo environment with respect to the time of day. The study monitored visitation (noise and number) over two 1-week periods (4 weeks between periods) and frequency of...
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Behavioral and hormonal consequences of transporting giant pandas from China to the United States
| Contributor(s):: Snyder, R. J., Perdue, B. M., Powell, D. M., Forthman, D. L., Bloomsmith, M. A., Maple, T. L.
Zoological institutions strive to ensure the welfare of nonhuman animals in captivity. Part of this effort involves reducing the level of distress experienced by an animal to the greatest extent possible. However, some necessary zoo management practices such as transportation induce stress...
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Current attitudes toward, and incidence of, sterilization of cats and dogs by caregivers (owners) in Auckland, New Zealand
| Contributor(s):: McKay, S. A., Farnworth, M. J., Waran, N. K.
This study distributed a questionnaire to cat or dog caregivers (owners) throughout Auckland, New Zealand, to investigate the attitudes of human companions toward the sterilization of their cats and dogs and the degree to which this occurs relative to demographic information gathered. A total of...
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Dairy cow behavior and welfare implications of time waiting before entry into the milking parlor
| Contributor(s):: Dijkstra, C., Veermae, I., Praks, J., Poikalainen, V., Arney, D. R.
The objective of this study was to investigate dairy cows' time spent in the possibly stressful waiting area (WA) of the milking parlor (MP) and their behavioral patterns while there and thereby investigate comparative effects on their welfare. The experiments were carried out in 3 loose-housing...
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Does horse temperament influence horse-rider cooperation? (Special Issue: Equitation science.)
| Contributor(s):: Visser, E. K., Reenen, C. G. van, Blokhuis, M. Z., Morgan, E. K. M., Hassmen, P., Rundgren, T. M. M., Blokhuis, H. J.
Cooperation between rider and horse is of major importance in equitation. A balanced team of horse and rider improves (sport) performances and welfare aspects by decreasing stress, frustration, risks of injuries, and accidents. Important features affecting the cooperation are the physical skills,...
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Effects of single-use and group-use enrichment on stereotypy and intragroup aggressive and affiliative behaviors of a social group of squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) at the Singapore Zoo
| Contributor(s):: Sha, J., Han, S., Marlena, D., Kee, J.
Four food-based enrichment devices were used to test the effects of single-use and group-use enrichment devices on stereotypy, intragroup aggression, and affiliation in a compatible group of 5 squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus). All enrichment devices were found to reduce overall stereotypic...
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Hydration state of goats transported by road for 12 hours during the hot-dry conditions and the modulating role of ascorbic acid
| Contributor(s):: Minka, S. N., Ayo, J. O.
This study investigated the effects of 12 hr of road transportation during the hot-dry conditions and the modulating role of ascorbic acid (AA) on the hydration state of goats. Twenty goats who served as treatment goats received oral administration of 100 mg/kg body weight of AA, whereas another...
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Siamangs ( Hylobates syndactylus ) and white-cheeked gibbons ( Hylobates leucogenys ) show few behavioral differences related to zoo attendance
| Contributor(s):: Smith, K. N., Kuhar, C. W.
The effect of visitors on behavior and welfare of nonhuman animals in the zoo has been an active research topic during the last few decades. Although research has variously shown negative or positive impacts of zoo visitors on animals in captivity, previous primate research at Disney's Animal...
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The effects of chronic exposure to common bedding materials on the metabolic rate and overall health of male CD-1 mice
| Contributor(s):: Becker, C. E., Mathur, C. F., Rehnberg, B. G.
Anecdotes and personal Web pages claim that cedar and pine beddings cause respiratory distress in rodents, although no previous research could be found to support these claims. There have, however, been published studies of respiratory distress in cedar and pine mill workers. That research links...
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There's a rat in my room! Now what? Mice show no chronic physiological response to the presence of rats
| Contributor(s):: Meijer, M. K., Loo, P. L. P. van, Baumans, V.
In general, guidelines on housing and care of animals in the laboratory state that rats and mice should not be housed in the same room. Mice may perceive rats as predators. Although one theory says this can cause stress, there is little scientific evidence to support this theory. In the wild,...
